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- You're talking about AESA radar. If I'm not mistaken, later-gen Super Hornets and the F-35 will have AESA radars as well, Raptor won't be alone in that ability. So likewise, I think the same holds true for TSFs.

- Man, you guys would love Yuzuka if she were wearing nothing other than whipped cream and cherries...uhhh, actually, hold that thought.

While I have that image, I've never imagined her in whip cream and cherry,
Ahh. Shit.

- Now that you understand how my randomly twisted mind works, what ELSE do you want me to think up? A Yuzuka Dakimakura with removable Fortified suit? Or aYuzuka Daki with whipped cream and Cherry flavoring?

BACK ON-TOPIC: Does anyone have a visual or confirmed link for the Su-47 and Shiranui Phase 3 1/144 Kotobukiya kits?

- Now that you understand how my randomly twisted mind works, what ELSE do you want me to think up? A Yuzuka Dakimakura with removable Fortified suit? Or aYuzuka Daki with whipped cream and Cherry flavoring?

Are all A3 figures so badly made? I got the A3 F-22A Raptor recently and the jump unit pegs don't even fit into their slots/holes well and constantly fall off (does anyone else have this problem?), and one jump unit even fell off my bed and a part got chipped off The right hand holding a gun also broke off when I was moving the hand a little (the peg snapped off) so now I have him with no jump units and holding a rifle left handedly. I may just put him in storage and never take him out again, such a waste of my money. My revoltech Take is more durable than that thing and it was a fraction of its price. Volks screwed meeeeee

Also I wanna ask, i'm thinking of ordering either the 1/144 Strike Eagle or the re-issue of the Valkyrie Shiranui (non-scale), do these things need any painting? Any otehr tools needed or can I just assemble it with what I have in the box? Also how durable are these models? Thanks

Also I wanna ask, i'm thinking of ordering either the 1/144 Strike Eagle or the re-issue of the Valkyrie Shiranui (non-scale), do these things need any painting?

- Yes, depending on the kit. You could probably do OK with the Strike Eagle (Being mostly Sky grey), but the Shiranui might need a touch of paint for some accents. Kotobukiya usually has a couple of parts already molded with the colors, so it's not going to be too bad. It's not -absolutely- necessary, but obviously the kits are just that---plastic modelling kits--and look better if you put a bit of work into them.

Quote:

Any otehr tools needed or can I just assemble it with what I have in the box?

- Well, a hobby knife or Sprue Cutter would be ideal. You DON'T want to rip the parts off the sprues and slap them together--you'll just turn into another one of those screaming N00bs who complain about why they have to assemble their toys and why there's these little ugly nubs on them when they assemble together.

Quote:

Also how durable are these models? Thanks

- Fairly good, but Revoltechs are more durable since they're toys. The Koto Model kits are posable and can be handled pretty much like Gundam kits. And like Gundam kits, please don't swing them around and throw them.

...and before you ask "Why would I swing them around and throw them?"---you'd be surprised what some grown men will do at conventions.

Are all A3 figures so badly made? I got the A3 F-22A Raptor recently and the jump unit pegs don't even fit into their slots/holes well and constantly fall off (does anyone else have this problem?), and one jump unit even fell off my bed and a part got chipped off The right hand holding a gun also broke off when I was moving the hand a little (the peg snapped off) so now I have him with no jump units and holding a rifle left handedly. I may just put him in storage and never take him out again, such a waste of my money. My revoltech Take is more durable than that thing and it was a fraction of its price. Volks screwed meeeeee

Sorry to hear about your A3, but yeah it happens. You can get a small pin vice, drill some holes in each ends of the broken pegs, and insert a small brass rod. That will repair the breaks with more firmness. For the lose fits, you can also redrill the holes, add a little super glue, and stick a rod in while wiggling it around to roughen the edges and prevent the rod from sticking. That should give you a firmer fit. Use some tissue paper if you dont want to risk the super glue.

__________________

When in deadly danger, when beset by doubt. Run in little circles, wave your arms and shout.

Ah thank you kind gents, i'll do just that. Unfortunately I tried to super glue the right hand and the glue went all over the place and now it looks like it's covered in donut glaze
I'll probably just wait on the hopeful release of a new Revoltech or A3.

- Yes, depending on the kit. You could probably do OK with the Strike Eagle (Being mostly Sky grey), but the Shiranui might need a touch of paint for some accents. Kotobukiya usually has a couple of parts already molded with the colors, so it's not going to be too bad. It's not -absolutely- necessary, but obviously the kits are just that---plastic modelling kits--and look better if you put a bit of work into them.

- Well, a hobby knife or Sprue Cutter would be ideal. You DON'T want to rip the parts off the sprues and slap them together--you'll just turn into another one of those screaming N00bs who complain about why they have to assemble their toys and why there's these little ugly nubs on them when they assemble together.

I dunno, I have three non-scale Koto kits, and I'm quite happy with them unpainted. I'm absolutely horrible at painting anything, so they're staying as is. But then my friend who is a huge Gundam-head groans every time he sees my Koto kits unpainted.

If you want accuracy, you'll probably want paint if you're a bit OCD. But my UN Shiranui and EF-2000 look fine unpainted to me (my Type-00R however...). I'm working on the SU-37UB right now, but I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do with that one. The decal sheet for the camo is HUGE. You probably SHOULD paint this one if you want the camo, but meh.

June93, if you want to see what unpainted looks like, here's my Shiranui:

And here's my Typhoon:

Like I said, I'm happy with them as-is, but I know more people are less than thrilled with bare plastic. Your taste really.

I will say, for some reason, these Koto kits felt much more time-consuming over most Gundam kits I've built. I wouldn't say harder though.

- The non-scale kits are bigger and have more colored parts, so it's not as glaringly obvious. If anything, the Non-scale kits probably cover the "Build-straight-out-of-box" theory better.

But he was talking about the 1/144 kits (Of which I have the Shiranui Second Tarisa and Yui's Takemi).

He actually asked about both:

Quote:

Originally Posted by June93

Also I wanna ask, i'm thinking of ordering either the 1/144 Strike Eagle or the re-issue of the Valkyrie Shiranui (non-scale), do these things need any painting? Any otehr tools needed or can I just assemble it with what I have in the box? Also how durable are these models? Thanks

I was just giving him my experience with the non-scale ones, especially since he asked about one of the kits I have (well not exactly maybe, I have the original UN Shiranui run, not the re-issue. I don't know if any issues were fixed).

Thanks for the input on the 144s though, I have the YF-23 on pre-order, and may be reconsidering it. I was thinking about buying one before to see how they compare to the non-scales, but I can't find any pics good pics of what the look like unpainted. But they are relatively cheap....

I'd say go for the one 1/144 kit first and see if you're happy with it. I paint most of my kits anyway, and the reason I'm going for 1/144 is due to the scale match with my existing 1/144 Gundam kits. More often than not I'd hit my kits with White Primer (basically making them all white) and just applying the appropriate paints afterward so that they're uniform in tone and look.

Have built but not finished painting Yui's Takemi (the purple bits are a pain, but based on your experience I think it's true of the non-scale Takemi as well). Didn't paint the entire kit because that particular shade of yellow is hard to do by hand.

I've had to put Tarisa's Shiranui on hold while I work on other (non-Muv-Luv, non-Gundam) stuff. Namely two 1/72 F/A-18 Hornets that I've been meaning to do for a long while.

As an owner of almost all A3s, I can say that the early releases are horrid in terms of articulation since the biceps cannot move, but despite that, the sculpt prevails and I would always try to bring out the best of the figure by maximising what it could do rather than dwelling on its limitations. I do have some large scale Koto Takemis, and they can definitely move their arms the most.

The A3 Raptor, along with the YF-23, were the first ones to have movable biceps. The best articulated A3s would be the F-16 Fighting Falcon frame, MiG-29, and the Shiranui JPS/Second. The Typhoons would fit the description as well.

Don't forget that Volks goods, even completed figures are targeted towards experienced hobbyists. Many owners modify their A3 Takemikazuchi to pull off many poses.

Revoltech TSFs are regarded a budget brand as it s considered inferior compared to other available brands. They have the fixed bicep problem as well. I think the Sci-fi Revoltechs is the best sub-line.

My problem with the Revoltech TSFs is that the hand grip becomes loose due to being stretched too much. The fixed weapons hands of the A3s actually look really nice.

If you admire the beauty of a TSF, pick A3. If you want gimmicks and decent articulation, go for the Koto Kits. Revoltechs are good for certain poses.

I loathed my A3 Typhoon if it is just standing there due to its overly skinny waist, but when it is posed wielding the Mk.57 two handed, the waist is covered by the left arm and it looks gorgeous. Skinny figures always look good in action poses, and this applies to anything that doesn't look good in a static pose.

The 1/144 Koto line are generally better looking than their Non-scale counterparts due to revised proportions. The only non-scales that are decent looking are the Shiranui and Typhoon. I am waiting to see whether the broad shoulders look okay on the Su-37.